GDPR is a significant piece of legislation that will affect anyone who handles the private information of EU citizens. From the public sector to pharmaceutical companies, financial institutions to retailers, businesses of all kinds and sizes will be effected. The GDPR standardises existing legislation across the EU and expands individuals’ rights over the personal data organisations hold. GDPR also introduces important new rights for data subjects such as the rights to erasure and data portability.

When it comes to creating a culture of compliance, a records and information (RIM) provider can be one your strongest allies. But your current vendors may be by-products of mergers and acquisitions, or the result of decisions made by departments that wield power within your organisation.

Keeping every one of your organisation’s sensitive, private or business-critical records indefinitely would be impossible—and dangerous. One misplaced document or a single instance of information shared over an unsecured wireless network could result in thousands of dollars in fines and untold damage to your reputation.

Measurement is essential to compliance. Without regular assessment of how well business units follow information policies, standards and controls, even the most sophisticated records and information management (RIM) solution loses value.

The biggest potential risk to your organisation’s information may not be hackers or outside threats. It could be employee carelessness. Accidental data leaks can be just as damaging as the intentional ones.

Many organisations separate internal and external compliance, resulting in gaps in security and increased information risk. But by instituting organisational-wide policies, processes and protocols for handling sensitive, private or business-critical information, organisations can better protect their assets and reduce their susceptibility to fines and reputational damage.